To Rise Again
by rock-star-vt
Summary: Two years after the events transpired in the game, Cloud Strife is trying to come to terms with himself as a new evil begins to arise. CloudTifa. A different and dark story.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One

From his vantage point, his eyes could see all that remained of what was once the greatest city the world has ever known.  It once, not too long ago, had bright neon lights that ran far up above the upper plate.  It was the city of opportunity for which people moved so they could seek their riches.  Most, however, ended up in the numbered slums below the plate.  However above where the wind blew free, businessmen and women would walk the clean streets, breathe the open air and gaze up into the stars when the sun sat on another day in the city.  The upper class of the society would look at the heavens, and then their gaze would fall on a single solitary building that stretched seventy floors up and loomed ominously over everything below it.

There wasn't much left of that particular building.  Emerald Weapon had cleaved off the top twenty floors by itself.  By the time Meteor eventually hit in those dark days, the structure was practically in shambles.  Looters and disillusioned, violent citizens who saw their imminent death caused by the power conglomerate, had wrecked most of the bottom floors.

And Meteor itself wasn't very forgiving.  

He could see fractions of the frame and steel beams sticking crudely upwards, cursing the sky.  His eyes could also see a group of people at the base of the now dilapidated building.

Cloud knelt down on one knee, getting dust on his black pants and cloak in the process.  He squinted his luminescent blue eyes and focused on his quarry.  His enhanced senses, a by-product of his days with the former owners of that large building, allowed him to specify eleven warm bodies gathered around.  Most of them were men, from what his eyes could discern.  He wasn't sure, but the way some of his prey was standing about, he got the feeling that at least half of them were armed in some fashion.  

The black-clad warrior slowly raised his body, popping his back and neck in the process.  He shifted his large and boisterous Ultima Weapon on his back, with his gloved hand resting on the hilt.  He turned and walked away from the cliff, back down upon the trail leading to desolate and barren city.  Most people in his place would feel a sense of nostalgia, or even longing for what was once his home.  Cloud felt nothing, except a stricken sense of duty.  His thoughts did not dwell on his time in this once proud city.  Not once did he think about his time in SOLDIER, training to be the best, and eventually his failure.  Nor did he think about his ride here with his war buddy Zack, in the back of a pick-up truck.  He didn't even think about Avalanche, or the fact that his quest to get revenge and save the world started only a few minutes walk from here.  He didn't even think of Tifa.

For once today.

His mind was focused.  His body was relaxed and ready for the battle to come.  His thoughts were based on the eleven individuals that he was now tracking under the hot midday sun.  They were now his prey.  This is the part that Cloud particularly craved, and rather needed.  Not that he is a twisted, sick, individual who likes to stalk and track his enemies, but the solace and the peace of mind he receives is greater than his payout in gil.  Normally, his mind is a cluttered mess of thoughts, images, and feelings brought on by the scars of his "experimentation."  A blemish runs across his mental processes, causing his mind to be one large chaotic mess.  He assumed it would have gotten better after the defeat of Sephiroth and the saving of the world.

However, in what seems to be the running trend of his life, Cloud Strife was wrong.

He brushed his spiked blonde hair out of his face as he continued silently between the rubble.  His body was arched, listening for signs of his quarry and feeling the surrounding air.

It turned out that when he did strike down Sephiroth, his mental anguish began again.  He was without focus, and without purpose.  It was then that the dreams began.  Then the nightmares.  Then the racing thoughts and rampant images in his mind.

It was now, when his entire body and mind was determined and driven, was he at even a percentage of peace.  

A sudden change in the air caused him to freeze dead in his tracks.  He stood perfectly still, using his senses to feel his surroundings.  When he was confident that all was clear, he continued walking.  He made no sound as he was moving; it was almost as if his feet never touched the dusty ground as he walked.  Suddenly a slight sound caused him to stop again.  He changed directions when he heard the sound again.  It was the sound of people talking.

Cloud quickly pressed himself up against the remainder of a wall.  Ever so gently he leaned forward and peered through a hole in the rubble.  He couldn't see anything but he could somehow feel their presence.  He heard the whisperings again.  Cloud closed his eyes and focused his energies, relying only upon his instincts.  After a few second's pause and debate on the next course of action, he opened his eyes and resumed his pursuit.

He halted when he heard the shuffling of feet heading his way.  He had moved slowly and deathly silent for the past few minutes, blending in with the shadows.  The voices had grown increasingly louder as he approached, and he was quite sure they were right around the corner of a busted up wall.  

Cloud could make out two sets of footsteps shuffling in the dust and dirt.  They were without a doubt heading his way.  Without any sense of panic, he shifted his body and knelt behind the mangled frame of what was once a car.  Cloud stood frozen, his bright blue eyes peering through a crevice as two men turned the corner.

The men passed by him, completely oblivious to the man and his very large sword.  Cloud's cloak wrapped around him so that his outline was nothing more than a trace in the shadows.  Cloud resisted the urge to jump at the men, and send his sword in three quick motions and kill these men before they knew they were attacked.  But he didn't.  He was patient.  

He noticed that they were armed with semi-automatic weapons.  He also noticed that they had some form of armor on.  _Probably a bronze bangle_, he mused to himself.  It should be no match for his Ultima Weapon.  He absently touched the hilt of his massive sword.  _And if worse came to worse_, Cloud thought, his gaze falling from the men as they rounded another corner away from him.  His eyes drifted to the materia slots in his sword.  A small grin crossed his face.  

Cloud slowly rose up, and continued away from the passing men towards the main group of people.   

He stopped when he was at the edge of a shattered wall.  He knew that the main body of his quarry was directly behind him.  _Ten meters_, he mused to himself.  Cloud closed his eyes.  

_Nine targets_, he abruptly thought.  He will deal with the other two that wandered off later.  Hopefully he could finish these poor souls off without a sound echoed.  Hopefully.

Cloud stood motionless, blocking out everything.  For the first time since his last mission, he was totally void.  His mind was clear, and his body focused.  This is the reason for his relentless searches and dangerous quests.  These few seconds of clarity before his strike was what drove him.  It was worth more than any amount of gil he ever received for a job well done.  It was the only time he was empty. 

He found it hard to let go.  This focused place was his solace and his peace of mind that he so craved.  And like an addict who stumbled upon a hidden stash while he was feigning, it was almost too much to handle.  His clarity and focus would almost swallow him, if it wasn't for his strong will.  Finally his eyes shot open and he lunged forth as if he was wound on a spring, with his sword flashing so quick it only seemed like shards of light in the midday sun.

With one quick motion he plunged the Ultima Weapon between the shoulder blades of an unsuspecting middle-aged man.  He twisted his large sword and spun around, pulling the blade from the corpse and thrusting it inside the skull of a woman nearby in one swift movement.  

Cloud knew he still had the element of surprise, even this far into his attack, so he pushed out all conscious thoughts and relied on his warrior instincts.  He quickly shot his sword behind him without looking.  He knew that another man was there, bending over, checking the chamber on his gun.  Cloud felt the resistance in his sword and he knew his strike had hit home.  The poor bastard he killed was halfway to the lifestream before he even knew he had been offed.

The rest of Cloud's attack would seem like a blur of black clothing, blonde hair, and luminescent blue eyes.  One moment he was here, another moment he was leaping through the air bearing down on someone.  His sword was flashing so fast that it seemed as if it wasn't really there.  It was as if you could squint your eyes, and you wouldn't even see it, similar to the blades in a fan.

He had attacked so swiftly and so stealthily that nearly everyone fell before they knew they were being attacked.  Only the ninth, with his eyes wide and his glasses falling off of his face, caught a glimpse of his predator.  He made a futile attempt to defend himself.

His hand made it six inches toward his sword before Cloud cleaved him in half.

After the final blow, Cloud stood still, unwavering.  It may have appeared as if he was taking a certain amount of pride in the bloody wake around him.  However his eyes were searching.  He was looking for something.  It was the object that his client was really after.

The air around him shifted and Cloud realized his fatal mistake.

He swiftly turned around, his eyes scanning the street, Ultima Weapon raised and ready.  However, he then realized his folly when he spotted the two familiar armed gunmen with their weapons drawn.

"F-freeze," the first guy bellowed out, his voice trembling from the carnage in front of him.  "Don't move," he managed to say in a dry, raspy voice.

Cloud dropped his gaze and slouched his shoulders, surrendering defeat.  His mistake had cost him deeply.  Cloud then took his sword, and ever so slowly plunged in down into the earth, with his hand still loosely on the hilt.

"Je-Jesus, Frank," the other man said, taking a tentative step towards the black-clad warrior with the large sword.  "Look at them.  They all dead," he said, fear drenching his voice.  "Who the hell is he, Frank?"

"He's Cloud Strife," the middle-aged man said, stepping towards the now surrendering man.

The cigarette dropped out of the man's mouth at the mere mention of the name.  "Cloud Strife," he repeated softly.  "But, but, wasn't he a good guy?  Wasn't he one of the ones who saved us?"

"Yeah, but he ain't no good guy," the older man replied.  "He was just along for the ride.  He was in it for revenge, not saving the planet."  He paused before continuing.  "He's just a messed up fuck," he said finally.  "I heard he went nuts once and gave Sephiroth the weapon that he used to call Meteor."

"Really?" the other man asked, still staring and the unmoving and defeated soldier in front of him.

"Yeah," he replied.  "I heard he was always messed up.  But now, Jesus, he's a sick-o.  Look at what he did to our crew!  Look at em!  All dead!  And now, I'm gonna kill him!"

Cloud abruptly looked up, his bright blue eyes burning with determination.  He was staring directly into the older man's eyes. 

Cloud was smiling, as the materia in his sword started to glow a faint green.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens and struck the older man in the head.  He fell to a hard clump on the road, with severe burns covering his shoulders, neck, and head.  The putrid smell of burning flesh was already steaming out into the desolate and dusty streets.

The other man stood frozen, with his jaw ajar.  He dumbfoundedly tightened his grip on his gun, fumbling for the elusive trigger.  Cloud, as quick and as light as a cat, jumped to the side and pulled the Ultima Weapon from the ground.   He flung it with great force as he fell to the hard road beneath him.  His sword flew end over end in the air.

The man who had the gun pointed on him suddenly fired to life, his motor skill going into overdrive.  He found the trigger and started pouring bullets into the air, not even aiming at Cloud.  He fired about twelve bullets, all which passed easily over Cloud's head, before the Ultima Weapon plunged in to his sternum with so much force it knocked him into the air and crashed him into the remnants of a wall behind him, killing him instantly.

Cloud got up slowly, brushing the dirt and dust off of his clothes.  He stepped forward slowly, still sensing the air around him.  He cursed himself silently for his lack of foresight with these two would-be heroes.  Cloud retrieved his sword, pulling it crudely out of the man's chest.

He then turned around and resumed his search.

It took him no less than three minutes of plundering to find what he was after.   He reached into a silver bag and pulled out a small box, about the size of a coconut.  He opened the box to find a red orb, perfectly round and without any dents or imperfections.  It glowed slightly, as the power within it was begging to come out.

"Knights of the Round," Cloud said in his cool, collective voice.  "I was wondering what had happened to you.  I never thought Yuffie would ever let you out of her sight."

"Oh well," he said, snapping the box closed and slipping it in to his pants pocket.  "You will serve a new master now."

Cloud started to walk down the dilapidated roadway, dodging potholes and scrap metal.  _The materia was worth a lot of gil_, he thought to himself.  But his own reward has already been claimed.

As he walked towards the edge of what was once this great and powerful city, his mind started to clutter more and more, and his thoughts became more erratic.  By the time he had boarded his small one-man water vessel he had left on the beachhead north of Midgar, images and emotions started to toil at his mental processes, edging Cloud to the area between nightmares and reality.  

As it had everyday, and every night for the past two years.

~~~~

A/n

1. Squaresoft owns all names, references, places, etc.

2. This is not based off of what is known (or speculated) about Advent Children.  This is just something I've been meaning to do for a while now and the time seems right.

3. You've read this far, so do me a favor and press that review button and tell me what you think.  (example: This is good; this is horrible; keep it up; keep it to yourself)  


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

It was early evening, which meant that at the present the place wasn't all too busy.  Although business is expected to pick up steadily for the rest of the night, right now it is only a little less than crowded.  There were only about forty people congregated at the moment.  Most of them were men who were here spending their hard earned gil hoping to buy some happiness in 22 ounce glasses before they retreated home.  The smell of this place was always omnipresent.  It didn't matter if there were three people, or three hundred people, the bar always smelt of cigarettes and cheap beer.  It was a smell that infected everyone as soon as they entered through the large double doors.

It was a smell that, no matter how hard Tifa Lockheart tried, she could never wash out of her clothes.  From somewhere in behind the bar, a loud crashing noise erupted as a mug toppled over and fell out of the clumsy hands of a seventeen-year old girl.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Lockheart," the young girl said, looking uneasily at her boss. 

Tifa's expression changed from an initial scowl, to a subtle smile as she stared the young girl down.  "It's okay Raine," she replied collectively, pulling back a strand of her chocolate colored hair.  "Just clean it up, and be more careful next time.  It could happen to anybody."

"Okay," the girl said, and scampered into the kitchen for a broom and dustpan.  Tifa saw the look of relief pass over the girl's face like a passing storm cloud.

_It is hard to find good help these days_, Tifa thought absently as she filled a forty-something man's beer, and then watch him slip two gil inside the tip jar.

"Thanks," she said automatically, already mixing together a drink for a young couple a few seats down.

_She needs to learn to be more careful_, Tifa thought about her newly hired girl.  _And to call me 'Miss' instead of 'Mrs.'_

"Can I get a beer?" a burly man down the bar called.

"Sure," Tifa said, turning to fill a mug.

She had started this bar about a year and a half ago.  After the fall of Shin-Ra and the saving of the world, Tifa was elevated to a star-status.  However fame and appearances and autographs were about the least of her concerns or desires.  What she really wanted was to be far out of the limelight.  The one thing she really desired was to not be alone anymore.

After all the celebrations, parades, and appearances, Tifa found herself flat broke.  Being a celebrity doesn't pay the bills.  She had left Midgar with the clothes on her back when they went gallivanting across the world after Sephiroth.  When the city was destroyed when Meteor plunged into the earth, all she had left behind was decimated.  Not that there was much in Sector Seven anyway.  She had lived in the slums.  There was nothing of value there anyway before the plate fell, crushing her home and all of her possessions.

Even her materia, which she could have sold for something, she had handed freely over to Yuffie.  She had given it away readily, not really caring for the consequences.  She really had no use for it since she wanted to never do battle again.  Shortly afterward, her and Cloud had moved to Kalm.  Yes, she and Cloud were together.  They had moved into a quaint little apartment on the outskirts of the town and had started a bar there, which she humbly called "Blue Street Gallery."  It wasn't much.  It had a few pool tables, a few moogle video games, and a handful of tables.

For a while, life was what she wanted.

She wasn't alone.

She loved Cloud, more than anything or anybody she ever had in her entire life.  She kept expecting him to ask for her hand in marriage, especially after the bar had started to bring in a bit more money than they had anticipated.

But instead of asking for her to be with him forever, he left her.

It happened late one night a few months into their residence in Kalm.  She woke up abruptly as he was shaking violently in the bed, yelling things out, and thrashing around under the covers.  She tried to wake him, and told him that he was having a bad dream again.  For a while, he started to calm down.  She could feel his heart rate slowing and his breathing became more normal.  She had thought the worst was over.  She was all too wrong.

Cloud had laid silently beside her that night, with her arms wrapped around him in a comforting manner.  He was still until Tifa was sure that he had drifted off to sleep.

A sudden shift in their bed told her that he was getting up.

"Cloud?" she had asked, turning to face him in the soft moonlight that tricked in through the open window.

"I can't Tifa," he responded softly, putting his clothes on.  "I can't do this."

"What do you mean Cloud?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I can't take this anymore," he said, sifting through and getting his old combatant clothes from the closet.  "It's eating me alive from the inside."  

A cold shiver ran down her spine as she saw him reach for the cold gray steel of his Ultima Weapon.

"Cloud no," she begged, tears swelling up in the corners of her eyes.  "Don't go," she pleaded.  "Don't leave."

"Don't leave me alone," she finally said, in one last attempt to wrestle him away.

"Good-bye Tifa," he said, never meeting her eyes.  "I wished I could," he said lamely.  "I want this, I really do.  I want to be happy with you," he said, finally looking up at her.  He glanced away quickly as he saw the tears streaming down her face.

"I want you to be happier than what I can provide," he said, taking a step towards the door.

"Cloud," she said, even though it only came above a whisper.

"You saved me once," Cloud said his collective voice shaking a bit.  He finally turned to look at her for the last time.  "In the lifestream, and I never thanked you the way I should have.  And you've tried to save me in the past few months.  But I can't do this," he said turning to the door.  "It's getting too bad.  This will destroy me, and probably you as well."

For a moment there was nothing but deafening silence that spoke as loud as war.  

"I can't do this to your future," he said finally, opening the bedroom door, and walking into the darkness.  "Thank you," his voice trailed to her now wretched figure in the bed.  "And I love you."

She had burst into tears, wailing into her pillow.

That was the last she had seen of him.

But oh how she missed him.  She had known about his problems, about his dreams, and his mental scars.  Hell, he was always messed up.  It's what made him Cloud.  But on the night he walked out, he was beyond repair.  She had seen him slip away more and more with every passing day.  And she had tried so hard to help him.  And he had tried so hard to help himself.  But in the end, his mental anguish and his daytime nightmares could never keep him sane.

The sound of another shattered beer mug snapped Tifa back into reality.  Except this time, the fault was from her own hands.  She had been so lost in thought and unpleasant memories that she had reached for a bottle of liquor, but in the process she had knocked over a large mug.  She glanced over at Raine, the new girl.  

"See," she said, forcing a smile at her own fault.  "It can happen to anybody," she started.  "Now hand me that broom."

"Yes Mrs. Lockheart," she said, reaching for the said broom.

"Oh and Raine," Tifa started.  "It's Miss Lockheart."

"Sorry," she said.  "Here," she exclaimed as she handed her the broom and dustpan.

"Hey," a voice boomed behind them.  "Can I get another beer?"

"Get the man a beer," Tifa instructed as she swept the remnants of the glass shards into the dustpan.

It was then that a familiar voice caught Tifa's attention.  She paid it no mind, because she assumed that is was one of the regulars that had started to pour in by now.  But there was something significantly different about this higher-pitched voice.  It seemed almost synthetic, as if it were a voice that would come out of a child's doll.

"Excuse me," it said, obviously talking to someone at the bar.

"Do you know where I can find Miss Tifa Lockheart?"

Tifa snapped up from behind the bar to see a huge, and very out of place, white stuffed moogle standing behind some of the locals.  Perched on top of the white creature was a small black cat with yellow eyes.  He had a microphone in his right hand.

"Cait!!" Tifa exclaimed as she ran up to the bar.

"Tifa," the large white mog replied.  "Howya been?  It's been a while!"

"Yeah," Tifa replied.  "I haven't seen you since Meteor and since Reeve took you off-line."  She hesitated, biting her bottom lip and thinking of the once manipulated spy in front of her.  She leaned forward over the bar, peering into the yellow eyes of the cat before her.  "So am I looking into the eyes of Reeve now?" she asked with a smile on her face.  "Is this image of me on a computer screen somewhere in front of him?"

"No, no, no" Cait said, flailing his large arms, nearly knocking a few of the customers to the floor in the process.  "Reeve installed some new hardware into my body.  I'm fully independent!" he said with a large grin on his cat face.

"Well good," Tifa said, straightening her posture to avoid any examining looks from her customers who would be drawn to certain aspects of her body.  "I've missed you, since Reeve has been helping Barret out."

"At least I'm not gathering dust in his closet like I was before."

"Hey Tifa," Raine interjected with a desperate tone in her voice.  The blonde girl was holding three full mugs with both of her hands.  "Help please," she pleaded as one of the mugs was slipping from her grasp.  Tifa rushed over and grabbed two of them and placed them on the bar for eager customers.  

"Thanks," Raine said.

"No problem," she said, turning her attention back to Cait.

"You look busy Tifa," he said, peering her way.

"It gets that way on a Friday night," she said.  "Plus we're one cleaner short in the kitchen tonight, so it will put a strain on us all."

"I see," Cait said thoughtfully.  "Maybe I will come back later."

"Well," Tifa said hesitantly, not trying to run off her old friend.  "It's only going to get busier from here on out.  You could try to come back around three," Tifa offered.  "That is unless that would be past your bedtime," she added with a wry smile on her face.

"You know me," Cait said.  "I don't need sleep.  I just need to recharge my internal battery once every three days."

"Well come back around then," she said.  "Maybe a bit later because it will take us longer to clean up being short-handed."

"Well maybe I could help," Cait offered.

"To clean?" Tifa asked hesitantly, a little perplexed by the proposal made by the robotic cat on the large stuffed moogle.  

"You said you were short handed," he explained.  "And I don't have anything to do in Kalm until then, so maybe I could help."

Tifa's expression changed slowly to a genuine smile.  "Sure Cait," she said.  "Come around the bar and I will take you to the kitchen where you can clean dishes and beer pitchers."

"Alrighty," Cait replied, bouncing towards a door in the direction Tifa pointed out.  "Oops, sorry," he said as he bumped into a waitress who was sending out some food.  Her eyes widened at the large white body, and then her jaw dropped as she saw him disappear into the door leading back to the kitchen.

------------------

The bar still reeked of cigarettes and cheap beer, but the noise level was a far cry from what it was an hour ago.

"Chuck," Tifa yelled across the room.

"Yeah," a big burly man with a beard that ran to his stomach yelled back.

"Turn the music down," Tifa instructed, pointing behind the man.

"Sure Miss Lockheart," the man said, turning from his bouncer station and flipping a few switches on the jukebox.  Suddenly it felt like Tifa had removed her head from the back end of one of Cid's new jet engines, as the noise level seemed to drop a few decibels.  

"Thanks," Tifa called back.  "And get all the remaining customers out of here."

"You got it," he said.  The man gave an acknowledging wave and walked over to the tables that had a few stragglers left.  Most were regulars, eating whatever food was left in a vain attempt to sober up before they walk home.  Tifa knew most of them.  However one in particular caught her eye.

There was a woman, probably about Tifa's age, in a table pushed back in the corner.  Unlike the other social drunkards who were obnoxiously loud, she was quiet, sitting by herself sipping on her drink.  She looked to be about Tifa's height, maybe a few inches shorter.  She had a dark red dress that did a very bad job of concealing her slender legs and shapely form.  She had bright blonde hair with actual streaks of silver interlaced.  Now that Tifa was thinking about it, she was sure she had seen that girl in here a few times before, but always by herself though.  

"I'm sorry miss," Tifa heard Chuck say as she started sweeping the floor.  "We're now closed; you're going to have to go home."

"Okay," she said politely, acting not a bit inebriated.  She got up and walked straight towards the door, stopping only to turn towards Tifa.  For a moment Tifa paused, thinking that the woman was going to say something.  However she just smiled, and then turned around and left the bar.   _Strange,_ Tifa thought.  _I could have sworn I have seen her around a few times.  Oh well_, Tifa conceded, shrugging it off and paying it no mind.  A few seconds later Cait Sith and another man emerged from the kitchen area.

"Kitchen's all clean," the man said, obviously reporting to Tifa.

"Good," Tifa said, smiling at how quickly it had taken them.  "You can help Chuck over there sweeping, and Cait," she said turning to her old friend.  "You can empty these ashtrays," she said pointing to the bar.

"Alrighty," Cait said, bounding a few steps towards her and reaching for the first of many ashtrays.  Tifa had to admit; her large, odd-looking friend had really helped them out of a bind tonight.  If it weren't for him, then they would be stuck cleaning the kitchen for another hour, which would mean that they wouldn't leave until around five or so.  Quite frankly, Tifa didn't feel like staying that late.  

"We can't thank you enough," Tifa said, rearranging the liquor bottles behind her.

"Hey," Cait answered.  "It wasn't that bad!  Besides, I didn't have anything else to do."

"That reminds me," Tifa said, pondering a question she had been thinking of all night long.  "What brings you to Kalm?"

"We'll," Cait started, outstretching his large mog hands and engulfing an ashtray.  "I've been deactivated for about seventeen months now.  And I'm not really that useful in Corel with Barrett and Reeve right now, so I just decided to trek out.  Maybe I could find something for myself out here."

"Hmm," Tifa said, musing over this information.  _It did make sense_, she thought while grabbing a mop out of the closet.  _One of the hardest aspects to come to terms with is 'Where do I belong in life?'  It must be an even worse situation for Cait, who has just "been activated," a few months ago and is actually an automatica_.

"So what do you want to do?" Tifa asked him as he stacked the trays up and stuck them under the bar.

"I don't know," Cait answered.  "I'm just going to see what's out there, and then see what I like."

"And you came to Kalm?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, it was as good a place to start as any.  Plus I wanted to see how my old friends were doing.  Even though I've only been active for seven months, Reeve instilled all my old images and sounds that he had when he used me to spy on you.  So I have all my memories."

"We'll I'm sure we could put you to work here," Tifa said, smiling at the thought of Cait Sith working the dishwasher and cooking food.

"No thanks Tifa," Cait started.  "I think I'm going to explore a little longer before I decide what I want to do."

"Take all the time you need," she said.

"I think I may go to Cosmo Canyon next," Cait said enthusiastically.  "I want to see Red too."

Tifa smiled, thinking of the last time she had seen her red and furry companion.  _It's been_…_Well it's been too long_, she concluded, thinking that if you had to stop and think about how much time has passed, then too much has.

"Tifa?" Cait said, looking at her as she lost herself in thought.

"Hmm?" she replied.   "Oh, I was just thinking about Red and everyone else."

A silence passed between them as Cait started to put the chairs on the tables and Tifa mopped the floor.  

"So you've been with Mayor Barret Wallace and his staff at Corel, huh?"  Tifa said, trying to get conversation stared again.  

"Yes indeed," Cait said, hoisting another chair.

"How's things been in Corel?"

"They're fine.  The town's been booming ever since Junon Power has contracted out the miners in Corel for shipments of coal.  Reeve set that up, actually," Cait continued.  "After the fall of Shin-Ra and the use of Mako diminished, Junon had some severe power blackouts. It was Reeve who helped Barret, after he was elected mayor of course, contract out their coal.  Junon was pretty desperate, so Corel got a good price.  It's kinda funny," Cait said.  "People are moving to Corel, so they could get a job mining coal there.  It's really grown.  You should see it,"

"Yes," Tifa thought, soaking in all of the information.  "I should.  I should pay them a visit," she said, looking at her robotic friend.  She admired how he could just pick up and go, visiting all their old comrades.  She was feeling the pull of all the "real world things" these days.  That consisted of bills, work, and a semi-stable life.  Long gone were the days that Tifa Lockheart jumped up and went on an adventure.

"So you're seeing all of our old friends," Tifa said, obviously envious.

"Yeah," Cait said, lifting another chair, the last one in the room.  "As many as I can.  I don't know how much time Red will have, being the protector of Cosmo Canyon and all."

"I'm sure he will make time."

"I don't know if I will be seeing much of Vincent."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed, mopping the last of the sticky floor.  "He surprised me when he joined the Turks.  I didn't think he would ever want to go back to that organization again."

"Well," Cait started.  "He always was out there a bit."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed.  "So who else are you going to see?"

"I'm going to get a ride out to see Yuffie and Godo.   I haven't heard anything from those two since I've been activated.  I will see Cid too, even though he has been by Corel a few times these days.  He doesn't live in Rocket Town anymore.  He and Shera moved out to the plains below Nibelhiem Mountains."

"So I've heard," Tifa said.  "I also heard that they've started an Airship company called Highwind, Inc."

"Yep," Cait said.  "And that's about everybody.  Well," he stopped sharply causing a tense moment of silence between the two. Tifa swallowed dryly because she knew what he was thinking.

"Besides Cloud," she said softly, finishing his statement.

"Yeah," Cait said.  "Besides Cloud.  I thought he would be out here with you, when I first got reactivated.  But Barrett told me otherwise."

"Yeah," Tifa started, gathering herself.  "We moved out here together to start this bar.  Everything was fine for a while, but then," she stopped hesitating, staring only at the floor.  "He started having nightmares.  At first I thought it was just natural.  But they got worse, and soon, all of his thoughts were a mess.  Sometimes he didn't know what was reality and what was a dream.  He couldn't handle it, so he left," she said softly.  "He left me alone."

"I've heard that he's still alive," Cait said, trying to offer some reassurance to his friend.

"Oh I know he's alive.  In this bar, all rumors and on goings about the world are talked about.  I've heard some things.  I know he's a mercenary, doing jobs that even the Turks wouldn't do.  Some of it's foul," she said, trailing off at the end.

"I would like to see him," Cait said hesitantly.  "I miss him."

"I do too," Tifa said.  "I do too."

"Hey Miss Lockheart," Chuck yelled from across the room, breaking the uneasy silence between the friends.

"Yeah," Tifa replied.

"We're all cleaned up," he said, hoping she would finish his thoughts.

"Thanks guys," she said, smiling at them.  "Go on home, it's been a rough night."

"Alright," Chuck said, crossing his arms.  "See ya tomorrow."  With that, the remaining help left through the front door, leaving Cait and Tifa, who was reaching for her jacket and keys to lock up the bar.  Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she turned to Cait.

"Hey Cait," she said, grinning at her counterpart.

"Yeah?"

"You still tell fortunes?"

"Do I?" Cait started, erupting into a large grin on his cat-like face.  "I'm getting more and more reliable everyday!  You wanna hear one?"

"Sure," Tifa said.

"Okay, here goes!"  Cait then started rocking back and forth as a small piece of paper printed off in the center of the Mog's chest.  Cait ripped it off and read its contents.  "Place your lucky numbers today!  Your lucky color is blue!"

Tifa started laughing.

"Whoops," Cait said.  "Must be a malfunction!  Gimme another chance!"

"Same old Cait," Tifa exclaimed as he started his rocking movements again.  He reached for the paper in an attempt for better fortune on the second try.  "It says," Cait began "Forty-two plus three is ten; Your lucky number is 1."  

Tifa pressed her hand to her mouth in attempt to suppress the giggles that were now roaring out of her.  She was laughing so hard her stomach muscles were sore from Cait's musings.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!"  Cait said, flailing his arms.  "Once more!  I swear I've been getting better.  And the third time is the charm right?"

Tifa was about to tell him to not even bother; that whatever came out couldn't be as funny as the last one.  But by the time she had caught her breath, the little piece of paper had already trickled out and Cait grabbed it.

"This one says," Cait started.  "Your biggest threat was closer than you ever imagined.  What you cherish will come back to you someday."

Tifa abruptly quit her laughing.  

For a few seconds, all Tifa could do was stare back at Cait, as if he spoke the word from a higher deity.  She stood motionless, as she was trying to grasp what was said.

And what it means.

"Damn," she said, tearing her gaze and looking down at the floor.

"Damn."

-------

Author's notes

1-Yeah I know….boring!  But I had to get out in the open what our heroes were doing with their lives these days.  The next one maybe a bit slow too, but things will pick up very quickly after that.

2-Square Enix owns it all, don't even think about arguing them for rights.

3-Thanks to all those who clicked the little "Review" button.  I deeply appreciate it.

4-Um, as much as I hate to say it:  Don't expect an immediate update!  I'm getting ready to go through a massive life-changing move.  Although I'm really, really excited about it, it will consume most of my time.   

5-Merry Christmas everyone.  May Santa bring you all the video games you could ever want!

6-Thanks to the infamous Shad for beta-ing this thing and telling me how horrible of a writer I am!  Haha, thanks kid, 'preciate it!


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